Getting off the ship

[sail7seas]

Check-in after this particular cruise will be in my own home. We have early check-in privileges :). We'll probably just take public transportation unless it is raining hard, so no need for a taxi either.

 

 

Can you check off the last time and NOT put any luggage outside? I mean, I consider all our luggage "carry-on" for a cruise, since we have no trouble handling it all ourselves.

 

(We're going to have to handle it all during the flight to embarkation point anyhow, even if it isn't all "carry-on" for an airplane).

 

 

 

?? Are you cruising from a port you have to fly to but ending your cruise in a port near your home?

[manbehindthecurtain]

On the topic of carrying your own luggage: please keep in mind that we would really appreciate it if you can actually fairly EASY carry it, I've seen so many people trying to carry/drag at least 3 very large suitcases and a carry-on, and bumping, scraping, damaging just about every surface/object they pass by. If everyone did this, the interior would fall apart within a month..... :(

[Oceanwench]

Since I live little more than an hour from the port, I am always among the last to get off the ship.

There is rarely any congestion leaving.

You will be asked about your post-cruise plans in a form HAL distributes, and the staff uses that information to determine when you are assigned to disembark.

 

We leave most of our luggage outside the night before.

We keep a small carry-on size bag in the room and throw our toiletries, etc. in that. We also carry off anything fragile we may have bought -- that sort of thing.

[sail7seas]

On the topic of carrying your own luggage: please keep in mind that we would really appreciate it if you can actually fairly EASY carry it, I've seen so many people trying to carry/drag at least 3 very large suitcases and a carry-on, and bumping, scraping, damaging just about every surface/object they pass by. If everyone did this, the interior would fall apart within a month..... :(

 

 

A good reason to reconsider this Express Disembarkation thing. Maybe HAL should stop permitting it?

[jtl513]

What DO people do in the morning with their night things and toiletries? Carry them off in a tote bag? Keep one reasonable-sized carry-on along with their personal items, and leave just the large suitcases (which for us would be ONE suitcase) outside the room? Do without and walk off grungy?

No, it's not necessary to go grungy! :) When we are flying home on disembarkation day, what we have in the room when we go to bed at night are the clothes we'll wear the next day, toiletries/medications, valuables (laptop, cameras, etc that you wouldn't put in luggage anyway) and a small bag for each of us with enough room to hold these things. For me, that is room in my laptop bag, for my DW it is a canvas tote or "beach bag" of some sort. If we have things left that we do not want to (or can't) carry on the plane (large toothpaste tube, large bottle of mouthwash etc) we transfer these to our large suitcases when we claim them on the pier (usually an outer pocket where room was left.)

[Two if by Sea]

Thanks for all the additional information. I think I've got the complete picture now -- or as well as I can have, before actually being there.

 

?? Are you cruising from a port you have to fly to but ending your cruise in a port near your home?

 

Yes. We are taking what sounds from reading all your postings to be one of your favorite trips, though we can only manage half of it: we're flying to Montreal and cruising back to Boston.

 

I would have dearly loved to avoid flying altogether, but we haven't got 14 days available. Now if the ship could carry cars, we'd be driving up and stowing our car for the return trip, but alas, no.

[sail7seas]

Hope you love that itinerary and Maasdam as much as we do. If you have the time, try to go to Montreal a day or two before you board. It's a great city.

 

I'm glad I asked the question...... a fellow Bostonian. :)

 

[Two if by Sea]

Hope you love that itinerary and Maasdam as much as we do. If you have the time, try to go to Montreal a day or two before you board. It's a great city.

 

Thanks! We're looking forward to it and I have very much appreciated all your reviews and notes.

 

We're planning to get to Montreal on Thursday, so we can have a full day to explore on Friday. Again, I'd have preferred to stay longer -- Montreal is hardly a city you can see in one and a half days -- but these are our time constraints for this vacation.

[sail7seas]

If you care to share, which cruise are you on? We are booked to do that itinerary once again, back-to-back. As you say, No Airports!!!

 

[Two if by Sea]

If you care to share, which cruise are you on? We are booked to do that itinerary once again, back-to-back. As you say, No Airports!!!

 

 

We'll be on the June 28th from Montreal.

 

As long as we're in this topic, and not that it applies to us for now, but just out of curiousity: when you're on the back-to-back, do you get a full day in Montreal for sightseeing? Can you just stroll on and off whenever you like? Or is it much more restricted?

[sail7seas]

Yes. As soon as they begin disembarkation, in transit guests (back-to-backers) are free to leave the ship and go on their way for the day to do what they wish. We must return in time for life boat drill. We have visited Montreal on land trips in the past and now love our days ashore when we are on a 'turnaround day'.

 

We were on Maasdam last summer June 16 and June 23 (not the Montreal itinerary) and then again August 18 and 25, which was the Montreal itinerary. For this summer, we're on August 16 and 23 doing the Montreal itinerary. Obviously we love Maasdam's Canada/New England's itineraries. :) Hope you do too.

[gizmo]

A good reason to reconsider this Express Disembarkation thing. Maybe HAL should stop permitting it?

 

I second that !

[jtl513]

A good reason to reconsider this Express Disembarkation thing. Maybe HAL should stop permitting it?

I second that !

The self disembarkation is a great convenience for those of us who can drive to ports, and there's nothing wrong with it as long as people follow two simple rules: don't over-do the amount of baggage you're handling, and be down there, ready to go when it starts. :)

[Suziefloozie]

On our recent cruise we chose to have a leisurely morning and be one of the last to leave the ship (thinking that this would be 10am - 10.30am). We ticked the last box and were given yellow 2 which was the last ticket. We eventually got called at 11.30am (we were told that the disembarkation was held up because some people had not paid their accounts!!!)

 

If you wish you can leave your luggage outside your room prior to 1am and you will collect it at your coloured collection point the next day at the time when your colour is called. Or you can choose to take it off with you.

 

There were very few people left to get off when our colour was called and a passenger with 2 cases, taking their own lugguage off then, would not have caused any problems at all.

 

Obviously depending on where your cabin is situated you probably will have to take an elevator but at that late time you shouldn't cause an obstruction to anyone else.

[Two if by Sea]

Thanks!

 

I guess 11:30 would be somewhat later than I'd really want to get off, unless they're providing post-breakfast snacks!

 

Do they keep feeding you in the Neptune lounge until your number is called, or do they clean it all up in preparation for the next set of cruisers?

 

[Suziefloozie]

NL closes at 8.30am as do all other eating venues.

We requested room service for 7.30am and received this ok as well as going to the NL before it closed for a cup of fabulous coffee (or 3). We still had juice and pastries left when room service came to collect the tray and they insisted we keep them as long as we wanted.

Nobody chased us out of our suites but we did feel for the steward who had to get it ready for the next pax. The bed had already been re-made when we came back from the NL.

The sparkling wine and water were delivered for the next pax while we were still in situ and we fought the urge to pop the cork :D.

On hind sight we should have asked for an earlier time then gotten off at the 10.30am time we wanted but you can never tell and we figured the crew would want us off as soon as possible. There was also a huge wait for a porter as they were more interested in getting the new pax luggage off the sidewalk and onto the ship. As it was our poor driver had been sat waiting for us for over an hour and a half so a large tip was in order.

If you carry off your own luggage there is no reason (other than HAL trying...and failing...to be organised) why you couldn't just up and leave whenever you wanted. It seemed like a lot of people did this anyway.